


I've lost before

by Nonnie_mouse



Series: Vignette [2]
Category: Hunger Games Series - All Media Types, Hunger Games Trilogy - Suzanne Collins
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-29
Updated: 2014-01-29
Packaged: 2018-01-10 11:24:56
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 785
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1159131
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nonnie_mouse/pseuds/Nonnie_mouse
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Not her. Just ... Not her.</p>
<p>Peeta during the reaping for the 74th Hunger Games.</p>
<p>Title from Split Enz "History never repeats"</p>
<p>"History never repeats,<br/>I tell myself before I go to sleep" - Split Enz, written by Neil Finn</p>
            </blockquote>





	I've lost before

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: all hunger games references and characters belong to Suzanne Collins. No profit is being made  
> All mistakes are my own.  
> Thank you for reading!

Not her.

This day had almost been comical. If you weren't apart of the complete , soul crushing mass abuse that was Reaping day. 

Peeta was sure someone, somewhere , had to find the humorous side of poor schmucks dressing up in their finest; only to have twenty four people sent to their deaths. Just because they had the misfortune to have their name pulled from a pool of names. To add insult to injury, the twenty four "tributes" ( tributes- a gift and payment both) weren't just sent to their deaths. No, that would be too easy. No, they had to fight each other to the death for society's sick pleasure -just to make sure that the victor has nothing left of themselves by the end. And then, the Capitol takes the rest.

Peeta looked around at the boys surrounding him furtively. Sure, someone found this funny?

Peeta was sure that if he could cut himself off from the abject terror and resignation filling him, he would at least crack a smile at Haymitch stumbling around on stage and ruffling Effie Trinket's ridiculously outrageous feathers ( and, that _wig_ Or, maybe it would be Effie's overly bright voice that would make him grin - and her insistence of the honor that the Reaping day brought.

Yes, it was disgusting, horrible and abhorrent how amusing it was. 

And , then. _her_ name was called. 

Primrose Everdeen. 

Peeta knew his father would be devastated to lose the sweet little girl who traded cheese from her goat for some bread and conversation. 

Not to mention Katniss .... 

Katniss, who's voice rang clear over the disgruntled murmurs that were just too quiet to really show the injustice of a 12 year old needing to fight off her life. 

Katniss' voice, screaming out words never heard before in District 12. 

" I volunteer!" 

Peeta closed his eyes. No. Not her. Not either of them. 

He felt almost outside of himself as Katniss walked up to the stage, while Prim screamed and Gale tried to calm the situation as best he could. As Effie warbled on about "the spirit of the games " and other indoctrinated nonsense. 

Surely, he would start laughing any second now. 

But, it wasn't funny. Not one bit. It never was, and especially not now. 

Peeta felt like he was about to be sick. 

He watched as District 12 lifted their hands up in salute to Katniss; he thought he joined in- but he wasn't sure. He watched as Haymitch fell off the stage and knocked himself out. Peeta wasn't sure if he had blinked since Prim's name had been called, let alone breathed. 

"Peeta Mellark!" 

Peeta started at his name , unsure of who could be calling for his attention right then. Then, he realised. That was Effie's voice. 

No one volunteered. That was no surprise. 

Peeta stood next to Katniss on the stage, trying to catch up. He turned and squeezed he hand, not quite sure whom he was trying to reassure. 

He was put into a room, where a stream of people came to talk to him. For the life of him , he couldn't remember who though. There was Delly; she was the clearest- tears pouring down her flushed cheeks as she gripped his hand and tried to be reassuring. 

And, of course, his family. 

His brothers gave him looks mixed with regret, defiance and guilt. Peeta tried to give them a smile, he understood. It was horrible- but he understood. Not everyone was Katniss Everdeen, the girl with with a fire in her soul that burned brightly for her family. He could never say what he would have done it it had been their names. 

There was his father, who hugged him, gave him cookies ( Peeta noticed that there was another bag tight in his dad's grip, and wondered who that could be for) and looked at him with such regret that Peeta couldn't stand it.

Then, there was his mother. His mother, who stormed in, looked him in the eye, and said with a smirk on her face " Well, maybe District 12 will finally have a winner." 

No one could look at him after that. His brothers left with pats on the back and his mother after them with not a word more. 

Peeta's father looked up at Peeta with a sad smile. " I love you, Peeta. Good luck ." He hugged Peeta, and was gone. 

" Thanks, dad. Love you, too." Peeta whispered to the closed door. 

Now alone, he finally let the tears fall. His mother was right. There would be a victor other than Haymitch Abernathy for the 74th Hunger Games. And, no, it wouldn't be him. He'd make sure of it. It would be him that died. 

Not her. 


End file.
